Pedestal-table lock.



PATBNTED JULY 14, 1903.

PEDESTAL TABLE LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED 00127. 1902.

no MODEL.

/4' u n W M I A I \/2 a l 7 l3 UNITED STATES Patented duly-14, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. BURTON, OF OAKPARIL ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

PEDESTAL-TABLE LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 733,367, dated July 14, 1903.

Application filed October 27, 1902.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakpark, in the county of Cook and State of lilinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pedestal-Table Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention is designed to afford improved means for bringing-both ends of the pedestal of an extension-table together notwithstanding the tendency to meet at one end sooner than at the other, due to inaccuracy or looseness of construction or other causes.

It consists in the features of construction which are set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, at the line 1 1 on Fig. 3, of a portion of a pedestal extension-table having my improvements, the parts being shown in the position at which the table members are closed and locked together. Fig. 2 is a similar section, on a larger scale, of the middle portion of such table, including both pedestal members, and showing the parts in the position occupied as they approach in closing up and before the action by which the lower ends are drawn together. Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail section at the line 4 4 on Fig. 2.

It will be understood that the extensiontable to which my invention is applied is of ordinary construction in respect to the usual extension devices, one member of the table having rigid with it one member 1 of the pedestal and the other table member having rigid with it the other member 2 of the pedestal. The pedestal is hollow, as necessary to inclose the center leg 3, which is carried in the usual manner on the bridge-pieced, which connects the customary extensionslides. On each side Wall of the pedestal member 1 there is pivoted a latch 7, and these latches project toward the opposite pedestal member and intrude into the latter when the two members approach, and when they are nearly closed up, as shown in Fig. 3, the latches overhang the cross bar 8 of a U- shaped link or rocker, whose side bars 9 9 are pivoted on the opposite side walls of said Serial No. 128,902. (No model.)

pedestal member 2, alight spring 10 being provided, operating to hold the link substantially in the position shown in Fig. 2-that is, so that the side bars trend up and back (that is,inward with respect to the pedestal member) at an angle of about forty-five degrees. From each of the latches 7 a link 12 extends up to the top of the pedestal. Preferably the two links 12 are made of one piece and connected across 6:: their upper ends by the cross-bar 13, and to said cross-bar there is connected a link or rocker 14, which is fulcrumed on the bracket 15, mounted at the upper end of the pedestal.

A link 16 is also connected to the cross-bar J3 and extends toward the end of the table, being provided with a slide-bearing or guideeye at 17. A spring 18 is provided, connected in such manner as to be under tension when the latches 7 are lifted to the position at which they will pass over the cross-bar 8 of the link 8 9.

Each of the latches 7 may be thus provided with a spring 18, operating as described, and I have shown such construction in the drawings; but the duplication of the springs is only a matter of convenience, and one spring, if sufficiently heavy, attached to either latch will perform the service.

The operation of these devices is as follows: When the link 16 is pulled backthat is, toward the end of the tableand sets the rocker 14 at the position shown in Fig. 2, the spring or springs 18 are under tension, and their reaction locks the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, because the cross-bar 13 of the links 12 has passed beyond the plane containing the axis of the rocker and the pivots of the links to the latches, and the links 12 are stopped on the bracket 15. WVhile the parts are in 0 this position the two members of the pedestal may be closed together to the extent shown in Fig. 3that is, so far as to bring the noses of the latches 7 beyond the cross-bar 8 9 of the rocker with which they are to engage. Assuming that at this position the table members may be together at one end, but are still separated somewhat at the other end, or that some force is still required to draw them together snugly even at one end, the operator to:

by thrusting the link 16 inwardthat is, toward the center of the table-and thus swinging the rocker 14: back past the locking-point, releases the spring, so that it operates by its tension to thrust down the latches, causing them first to engage the rocker cross-bar 8, and then as they are swung still farther down, being engaged with the rocker, they force the latter over to the position shown in Fig. 1, and in that action the pedestal member 2 is crowded toward the pedestal member 1, and said members are closed up by the time the rocker is stopped after having passed the position at which its axis and the latch-fulcrums are in the same plane as the points of engagement of the latches with the rocker cross-bar 8. The parts are thus in locked position with the pedestal closed. To release them and permit the extension of the table, the operator draws the link 16 outward toward the end of the table, lifting the latches 7 7 and putting the spring or springs 18 under tension and bringing the link cross-bar 13 and rocker 14 to locked position, as at the commencement of the action described. Provision may be made for automaticallyreleasing the latches-that is, without requiring the operator to manipulate thelink 16. I have shown such a device, consisting of a finger 20, mounted on the opposite table member from that on which the rocker 14 is mounted, this finger being arranged to extend across the plane of junction of the two table members and collide with a finger 14, which extends down from the rocker 14 at one side, (see Figs. 2 and 4,) and as the two members of the table are pushed together after the end of the finger strikes the finger 1t the rocker is tipped inward at the upper end, and when the crossbar 13 passes the plane containing the axis and the pivot of the links 12 to the latches the latter will be released and thrown down by the springs 18, as above described, and the table 'will be closed up precisely as if the operator had tilted the rocker 14 by means of the link 16.

I claim 1. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be connected; a movable connecting element Whose movement after such connection tends to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the movement of said element for disconnection, and means for releasably holding said element in disconnected position with the spring under tension.

2. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be connected; an element mounted on one of the members movable for connecting and discon necting said devices; a spring which is put under tension by the movement of said element for disconnection, and means for releasably holding said element in disconnected position with the spring under tension.

3. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the podestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be connected; means for connecting them adapted to draw the pedestal members together by the movement which perfects such connection; a spring which is put under tension by the disconnecting movement of said means, and means for releasably holding said connecting means in disconnected position.

4. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members adapted to be connected; an element mounted on one of the pedestal members, and movable, for effecting the connection of said devices, said devices and said movable element being relatively constructed and arranged to cause the continuation of the connecting movement after engagement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the movement of said element for disconnection, and means for releasably holding this said element in disconnected position.

5. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members at a substantial distance from both ends adapted to be connected; a movable element for connecting said devices, said element and said devices being relatively constructed to cause a continuation of the connecting movement after engagement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the disconnecting movement; means for giving said element disconnecting movement connected to the latter and extending to one end of the pedestal, and means for releasably holding the same at said end.

6. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members at a substantial distance from both ends adapted to be connected; a movable connecting element, said element and said devices being relatively constructed to cause the continuation of the connecting movement after engagement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by movement of said element for disconnection; operating means for said connecting element extending from the latter to the top of the pedestal, and means at the top of the pedestal for releasably holding the same in disconnecting position.

7. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch on one pedestal member and a device on the other for engagement of the latch, said parts being relatively formed to cause the completion of their engagement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the disengaging movement of the latch, and which reacts to force such engagement, and thereby draw the pedestal members together, and means for disengaging the latch and releasably holding it in disengaged position.

S. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch mounted on one pedestal member at a substantial distance from both ends; means on the other pedestal member for engagement of the latch, said latch and engaging means being relatively formed to cause their engaging movement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the disengaging movement of one of said parts, and means for giving said part such disengaging movement and for releasably holding it in disengaged position.

9. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch pivoted on one member at a substantial distance from both ends; a device on the other member for engagement of the latch, said latch and engaging device being relatively constructed to cause the completion of the engaging movement to draw the pedestal members together; an operatingrod extending from the latch to one end of the pedestal; a

rocking link fulcrumed at said end and connected to the operating-rod and adapted, by rocking in direction to carry its pivotal connection with the rod past a direct line from the links fulcrum to the rods latch connection, to disengage the latch; means for giving the link such rocking movement and for stopping the same at such position, and a spring which is put under tension by said disengaging movement.

10. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch pivoted on one member at a substantial distance from both ends; a rocker on the other member which trends from its fulcrum obliquely away from the first member, adapted for engagement of the latch by movement of the latter about its pivot toward the rocker-fulcrum, whereby the continuation of said movement after the engagement is effected draws the pedestal members together; a spring operating on the latch and which is put under tension by the disengaging movement, and means for releasably holding it out of engagement.

11. In a pedestal extension-table, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, devices on the two pedestal members at a substantial distance from both top and bottom, adapted to be connected; a movable connecting element whose movement for such connection tends to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the movement of said element for disconnection; means releasably holding said elementin disconnected position with the spring under tension, and devices on the two table members which collide when said members approach, one of said colliding devices being moved by the collision to release the connecting element.

12. In a pedestal extension-table, in com bination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch on one pedestal member and a device on the other for engagement of the latch, said members being relatively formed to cause the completion of their engagement to draw the pedestal members together; a spring which is put under tension by the disengaging movement of the latch and which reacts to force such engagement; means for disengaging the latch and releasably holding it disengaged, and means operated by the closing together of the table members for releasing it from such disengaged position.

13. In a pedestal extensiontable, in combination with the table members and the pedestal members pertaining thereto, a latch pivoted on one member at a substantial distance from both ends; a device on the other member for engagement of the latch, said latch and engaging device being relatively constructed to cause the completion of the engaging movement to draw the pedestal members together; an operating-rod extending from the latch to one end of the pedestal; a rocker or rocking link fulcrumed on one table member at said end, and connected to the operating-rod and adapted, by rocking in direction to carry its pivotal connection with the rod past a direct line from the links fulcrum to the rods latch connection, to disengage the latch; a finger on the opposite table member which encounters the rocker as the table members are closed together to give it rocking movement in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the. presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 9th day of October, 1902.

CHAS. S. BURTON.

In presence of EDWARD T. WRAY, FREDK. G. FISCHER. 

